After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 35 Imperial Merchants

"silver?"

“You have a lot of money from your business, take some out and give it to your sister.”

Xia Jingwen was only stunned for a moment, but after realizing what was happening, he reached into his wallet and said, "Okay, brother, this is all the money I have. By the way, how much did you take?"

"All."

“Even if you have all of it, it won’t be as much as mine, hehehe.” Xia Jingwen finished speaking and started laughing like an idiot. “I’ve beaten you again.”

But things are expensive on the black market. What if my sister sees something she likes but doesn't have enough money?

"It makes me angry just thinking about it. Actually, my sister should have had her own little savings, but it's all that Wen Wan's fault. She always sent my sister to the estate, and all her things were taken away."

"What a scheming girl! Over the years, she's stolen so many of her sister's treasures, both openly and secretly."

Hearing these words, Ali felt relieved, and a warm feeling rose within her, stirring her frozen heart. She reached out and knocked on the door:

"Knock! Knock knock!"

The two brothers were startled: "Who is it?"

Ali called out sweetly from outside, "Brother, it's me. I've come to see you about something."

Xia Jingwen's surprised and flustered voice came through: "What is it?"

They probably hadn't expected it to be her, as the two Xia brothers hurriedly packed their things and only rushed to open the door a while later. This made Ali chuckle; she could hear the clattering and banging inside, but to be considerate of her two brothers, she didn't point it out. She simply asked, "Brothers, why is there no one serving you in this courtyard?"

Xia Jingwen quickly said, "My brother and I aren't home often, so we don't have many servants to begin with. There are only five or six of us in total. And today, I... I didn't want to see them, so I sent them away." She still had a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

That's true. The Marquis of Beiliang's mansion has declined. It might still be able to flaunt its power elsewhere, but in the capital, it's hardly a prominent family. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been stopped by the gatekeeper when entering the city. The large number of people in her courtyard were gifts from her two brothers, plus some she bought herself on the black market. In fact, the entire Marquis's mansion probably only has two or three hundred people, with a small portion residing in her own courtyard.

A-Li asked with concern, "Is Second Brother's injury alright?"

"It's nothing! I'm all better now." Xia Jingwen rubbed her head and answered her happily. It was so nice that her sister cared about her.

Xia Jingyuan handed her a storage bag and asked, "This is the pocket money your older brothers gave you. Did you come here today for something?"

"Oh, I came here mainly to ask my second brother to borrow a few people." Ali looked at Xia Jingwen and said seriously.

Her adopted second brother is a bona fide business tycoon, a future imperial merchant.

Xia Jingwen asked in confusion, "Borrow someone?"

"Yes, that's right. I've recently become very interested in these business practices. I'd like to open a few shops like my second brother to play around with, but I don't have the manpower. So I'd like to ask my brother to lend me a few teachers to give lectures to the people in my department."

Xia Jingyuan affectionately patted Ali's head and said with a smile, "Our little sister can play whenever she wants, but why does she suddenly want to go into business?"

Ali said excitedly, "A person should always have ideals."

"But you don't need it. We'll take care of you."

"If a person has no ideals, they're like salted fish..." Thinking that her brothers wouldn't understand what salted fish meant, Ali considered what other word to use to explain. After pondering for a while, she had to admit...

"If a person has no ideals, what's the difference between them and someone who is carefree?"

She was almost ready to give up trying.

Xia Jingyuan quickly pressed his advantage: "That's right, Li'er, your brothers will always take care of you and protect you."

Ali's eyes welled up with tears. It's so nice to have two older brothers, but she still has to rely on herself: "But I still want to go into business. I want to be the richest person!"

“This…” Xia Jingwen looked at her brother.

Xia Jingyuan: "Why are you looking at me? I will always support my sister's decisions."

Ali joked, "Oh dear, I have over a hundred people in my courtyard. I can't just let them eat for free, can I? I want them to learn some work. It's always more reassuring to use our own people, whom we know well, than those hired from elsewhere."

Xia Jingyuan earnestly advised, "Your elder brother is afraid you'll suffer."

He would never admit that he didn't like his sister going into business at all, because that would definitely make her spend more time with her second brother in the future.

No, no, Xia Jingyuan pondered. It seemed he also had to make something of himself to attract his sister's attention. In any case, it had to be something bigger than what his second brother had done.

Meanwhile, Xia Jingwen felt as if he had won a huge lottery prize, his head still spinning. He secretly vowed to expand his business so he could support his sister in the future.

Ah Li had no idea that she had only come to borrow someone from her brother, but she had indirectly helped her two brothers become important figures in the capital in the future.

But seeing her two silent brothers, she gently tugged at their sleeves, one in each arm, and pleaded, "Please, my dear brothers~"

The two men couldn't resist her coaxing and quickly agreed, "Since little sister wants to play, then let's play."

"Yes, yes, my business is doing quite well now, so I'll take good care of you from now on."

Xia Jingwen gave her a token and told her, "If you need more people in the future, just go to the shops under my name."